A Bond That Will Endure
by Casa Circe
Summary: ThorLoki Week. Seven chapters to explore the different aspects of this fascinating relationship.
1. Pre-Thor

Thorloki Week

**_No matter what befalls them, theirs is a bond that will endure._**

_Disclaimer: Thor and Loki do not belong to me._

_Note: So I decided to participate in ThorLoki week on Tumblr by posting a short chapter everyday following the prompts of this week. I don't ship Thor and Loki romantically but I love their complex and conflicting relationship and this is a good opportunity to explore that. I haven't read the comics so I will be writing the characters according to the movies. I hope you enjoy this first entry._

**Day One: Pre-Thor**

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Even as children, they loved to discuss the future. Their perspectives usually clashed but that didn't stop them from sharing their thoughts freely. Despite their differences in opinion, they loved and respected each other and knew that words alone could never damage their bond. And what lay ahead was a world they both loved to explore, in their own way.

"You have a very idealistic view of the future, brother," Loki remarks dryly.

"And you are far too pessimistic," Thor replies congenially, "dwelling on darkness and defeat when you could be thinking about greatness and glory."

"You should consider all aspects of the future if you want to be better prepared for it," Loki argues, "I can't help it if I'm realistic. There will be wars to be fought, sacrifices to be made, difficult decisions to reach. We cannot live in a state of constant happiness."

"But we can certainly try," Thor says with that wide-eyed optimism that in anyone else Loki would have found intolerable.

He did not exactly enjoy piercing the clouds of Thor's fantasies but he knew that someone had to ground the prince in reality and he took it upon himself to do that. But most of the time, Thor was oblivious to his brother's attempts at reforming his views. All he knew was that he enjoyed Loki's company and that was what really mattered in the end.

"You don't seriously believe life will remain the same forever," Loki comments gravely.

"Of course I understand that as we grow older, we will have to face new challenges," Thor concedes, "I do know that much. But surely some things will never change."

"Indeed," Loki asks skeptically, "such as what, for instance?"

"Such as this," the blond said cheerfully as he puts an muscly arm around the dark-haired boy affectionately. Loki protests but his brother merely grins at him.

"No matter what happens," Thor declares confidently, "you and I will always be brothers."

There is no hint of doubt in his voice. Loki finds himself smiling.

More often than not Thor's naiveté was irritating. But every now and then, it could be temporarily contagious.


	2. Different Canons

**Day Two: Different Canons**

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Every Midgardian told a different tale. Some came closer than others to the truth, but never quite close enough. In the end, they only told different versions of the same story.

In Midgard's ancient times, legends were told and written about them. They were all-powerful deities, figures of an elaborate mythology. Small children wondered at the might of Thor and Mjolnir and laughed at the mischief of the trickster Loki. They were characters in stories that attempted to explain the unknown. They were mysteries never to be truly understood.

But the views of the humble Midgardians changed the day Thor was banished to their land. They began to believe in magic and in worlds beyond their own. Their views were broadened as they marveled in awe at the presence of a god among men. And when Loki sent the Destroyer to wreak havoc on their land, the Midgardians found a new hero to defend them. No one really knew about the complicated history of two brothers both raised to be king of Asgard. They merely had a glimpse at the glory of one and never at the sorrow of the other.

The events in New York only exacerbated the Midgardian's limited knowledge. Finally introduced to Loki, they saw only the worst side of him, the results of the twisted darkness he had had to endure after falling into the void. And he showed them nothing else, gave them no reason to sympathize with him. So they feared and hated he who had once only striven to be loved. He decided that their fear was better than nothing.

Everything was Thor's to gain, after all. He had the love and gratitude of the peoples of the Nine Realms. He had his father's trust at last. And he had even gained some powerful new friends just as Loki gained even more people to despise him. The Avengers had had direct encounters with the trickster and not all of them had escaped these experiences unscathed. They had come the closest to learning about the complex nature of Thor and Loki's relationship. They certainly knew the most about Asgard. And yet, they still did not know enough. Like everyone else, they only saw light and shadow.

Loki had accepted that even after all this time, he and Thor were but characters in a story that people told to enthrall their children, to try and teach them right from wrong. And he had vital a role to play. Thor could not be a hero if he had no nemesis. Without conflict, there was no story. And Loki always enjoyed a good story.


	3. Brothers in Arms

**Day Three: Brothers in Arms**

_NOTE: This prompt is wonderful and would logically lead to a dark piece so I decided to be a little more creative with it. If I have a little more time and inspiration, I will post a second, more serious entry for this prompt because it just has so much potential. But here's some lighthearted fare for the time being. This is Hawkeye and Black Widow discussing how much more effective Thor and Loki would be if they fought together._

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"But just imagine it, Nat!"

"You're giving this way too much thought."

"The guy was in my head for days, I can't help but think about him sometimes."

Natasha raised an eyebrow at her firmed but Clint merely shrugged. She shook her head in resignation. This was one of those rare moments when they both had some down time. They had found a comfortable place to lay low while S.H.I.E.L.D. was being rebuilt somewhere secret and there were no leads on any Hydra mischief. So there they were, enjoying a much-deserved breather after a seemingly endless period of chaos. The red-headed spy didn't know how they ended up discussing the fight dynamics between Thor and Loki but it didn't look like Clint was going to let it go anytime soon.

"We've been around both of them," Clint commented, "so we have a pretty good idea of what they're like in a fight."

"Deadly and dangerous," Natasha remarked dryly, "just like about everyone we've ever encountered."

"Yeah, but with magic and thunder powers," Clint continued, unfazed by his friend's visible lack of interest in the topic of Asgardian warriors, "and as much as I'm fond of the big guy, it's the brother that has the more intriguing powers, like the way he can magically disguise himself or cast illusions and stuff."

"Yeah, sure, I guess," Nat said carelessly although Clint knew she was thinking about it. Loki's powers, after all, would have come in handy in their line of work. And both Hawkeye and Black Widow silently agreed that the dark-haired menace would have made a pretty good spy if he wasn't going around deludedly trying to conquer the world.

"So Thor would be all muscle and Loki would be all manipulation," Clint described excitedly, "when Thor couldn't beat the crap out of a bad guy, Loki would psychologically torture him. Or when Loki couldn't talk his way out of the situation, his brother would punch their way out of it. Together, they would be UNSTOPPABLE."

Clint had to pause for a moment to appreciate the epic image he had imagined of the two brothers standing victorious in a battlefield. Natasha watched him with amusement.

"Together they would wreak so much havoc on any world," he concluded with a sigh, "which makes me wonder why they didn't just do that."

"You're forgetting the part where they hate each other's guts," Nat reminded him casually, "betrayal and resentment tends to fester."

"I did feel a lot of Loki's hatred towards Thor when I was possessed," conceded the archer, "though I was never really clear on why. Thor seems pretty cool to me."

"Why get into the dirty details?," Natasha said with a shrug, "There's obviously very little hope for any reconciliation there, no matter how big Thor's heart is."

Clint nodded in agreement.

"Some sins just can't be forgiven," Natasha added gravely. They were silent for a few moments.

"What a waste," Clint cried out in exasperation, a Midgardian mourning the sad fates of two princes of Asgard.


	4. Platonic Relationship

**Day Four: Platonic Relationship**

_NOTE: I was going to post this as my second entry for Brothers in Arms but I decided it also worked a bit for today's prompt because it explores their relationship and I didn't want to be redundant. So here it is. I made myself sad._

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Even fighting side by side with his most loyal companions as well as his newfound friends and allies, something was missing.

Thor would never get used to this, no matter how many centuries may pass.

He had grown up and hopefully, he had changed for the better. Whenever he doubted himself he would simply summon Mjolnir, the presence of the legendary weapon a reminder of his worth. But there were days when this brought him little comfort. Recently, this lack of faith had been happening more frequently but he never breathed a word about it to anyone. He would not be able to explain it if they asked. And he felt guilty at being so ungrateful. He knew that he had no right to be so.

After all, he had never known such a glorious period of his life. He was exhausted but he invariably won every battle he entered in. He defeated all his enemies. He was loved by all for being a protector of the Nine Realms. He had the unwavering loyalty of Sif and the Warriors Three. He had the love and support of Jane Foster, a great woman. He had forged an important bond with the Avengers. And he was finally shaping up to be the king his father and mother could be proud of. He was growing in strength and wisdom. For all his efforts there was only victory after victory.

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Even with an army at his beck and call, he was alone.

Loki was no stranger to solitude but this was a wound that ran deeper than any he had ever known.

He tried to brush the feeling aside, the hole that could not be filled no matter how much power he amassed, how many hearts he sowed fear into, how many cities he burned. Even the throne he had desired for so long now was nothing more than a cheap token and he derived very little satisfaction from his new position. Though cynical by nature, even he had not anticipated this utter disappointment. Every victory seemed hollow. It was infuriating. Would satisfaction be denied him even when he finally got what he wanted? There seemed no end to the injustice. He was determined to be victorious.

There were people enough to share this with, many who would revel in the chaos he had caused. There were those who had the same desire for destruction, the same desperate need to manipulate everything and everyone around them. There were beings with whom he had common interests, powerful creatures who would eagerly join him as he tore the fabric of the universe just because he could. He had everything he needed to win this time, and by the time his enemies realized that he was behind the havoc that was coming, it would be too late. Things were finally moving according to his plans.

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Nothing could be better.

He was happy. He couldn't be happier.

After all, this was everything he had ever dreamed of.

Well, not quite everything.


	5. Alternate Universe

**Day Five: Alternate Universe**

_NOTE: I am a huge fan of Avatar: the Last Airbender so I was thinking about how to make a Thor/AtLA crossover when I found the perfect opportunity through Zuko and Azula's twisted sibling relationship. The weird thing is that it can work both ways: Thor could be Azula, the favored child while Loki is Zuko, the one viewed as a dishonor/disgrace OR Thor could be Zuko, banished and seeking to restore his honor while Loki was Azula, power-hungry, manipulative and psychotic. So I'm going to work with both these ideas in mind though focus more on the former. The common factor, of course, is that Odin is Ozai, a crap father. It's started out as a sad story but I decided to end on a more hopeful note. So I hope you enjoy this crazy crossover._

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_"My father says he was born lucky…"_

Thor was the golden child, their father's favorite. He was a firebending prodigy whose skills in redirecting lightning were unparalleled. He was loved by all the people in the Fire Nation and was constantly praised for his strength and skill. He was heir to the throne and future ruler of the world, since the Fire Nation had managed to subjugate the other three races during the hundred-year war. The Avatar had disappeared long ago so there was no one who could challenge them. He was destined for greatness.

He was brash and arrogant but essentially well-meaning. He had yet to learn more about the world but he was determined to be a leader his father could be proud of. He wore a cheerful smile to mask the weight of responsibility he felt on his shoulders. Deep down, he was not sure if he would ever live up to everyone's expectations.

And he loved his brother even if he knew that they were not related by blood. He often teased Loki, with no ill will, about the latter's different abilities but he also expressed his admiration at the unique skills of the waterbender. He enjoyed sparring with Loki so that they would both develop their powers. Though Thor did not know the depth of the pain his brother experienced, he tried his best to protect Loki.

_"…while I was lucky to be born."_

Loki was the outcast, an adopted waterbender child whom Odin had saved after a raid on the Southern Water Tribe. The Fire Lord had believed that raising a waterbender as one of his own would be a symbol of goodwill towards the two tribes and would prevent them from openly opposing him. It was effective, up to a point. But the real reason the Water Tribes had not dared attack the Fire Nation yet was their lack of resources and capabilities and not some strained loyalty to a child who had never been part of their community.

As a waterbender growing up in the Fire Nation, even as part of the royal family, Loki was constantly subject to discrimination and, at times, pure disdain. He wasn't one of them and never would be, no matter how hard he tried to please his father. His was the element of the enemy, even when it gave him healing powers that no firebender would ever be able to possess. Suspicion and mistrust were all he had ever known among the people of the Fire Nation and yet he knew that should he be sent away to his "real" people, he would never belong with the Water Tribes either.

Only Frigga and Thor had ever been kind to him. The queen was always encouraging him to hone his gifts because she believed it was important for him to learn about his heritage and so that the healing powers he possessed would not only cure physical wounds but hopefully begin a reconciliation between the two peoples. She loved him as a son and never made any distinction between him and Thor. Loki loved his mother and was grateful for all that she had done for him.

And Loki loved Thor, even when he was always being compared to the latter and always found wanting. It was painful but he did not blame his brother for it. Loki had grown accustomed to people's narrow-mindedness. Thor's love and acceptance meant more to him than the opinions of everyone else around them. And though he was sometimes envious of his brother, Loki decided that he would simply have to make a name for himself, outside the family's shadow. He was in a unique position, after all. Neither Fire Nation nor Water Tribe, and yet also both. He was determined to make the most of it. And Thor supported him all the way.

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"Thank you for your faith in me," Loki says gravely.

"You are my brother, that is all that matters," Thor reminds him, "I am lucky to have you by my side."

"As am I. After all, we are the best qualified to show the world that fire and water can coexist in harmony."

"If we work together, there is no end to the wonders we can achieve."

And so it came to pass that through the joint efforts of Thor and Loki, balance was finally restored in the Four Nations and all their noble deeds became legend. So great was their power that they were looked upon as the God of Lightning and the God of Rain. Together they were the perfect storm.


	6. Favorite Kinks

**Day Six: Favorite Kinks**

_NOTE: I'm not good at this sort of thing but I gave it my best shot. Short and sweet._

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Loki was a glutton for punishment, but only if Thor dealt the blows.

Victory was sweet but in some twisted way, defeat had a singular appeal for as long as he suffered it from his mighty brother. He could almost say he enjoyed being bested by Thor, if only to watch how much the latter would have to struggle before he could thwart Loki's plans. He knew that there were other beings in the universe wiser, stronger, much more dangerous than Thor. He had even met some of them. But he despised them all and would never tolerate being beaten by any other adversary. He wanted only to destroy them and when he failed, he felt only rage.

But not with Thor. He knew how much Thor liked a challenge and how he always complained that there were very few worth adversaries in the Nine Realms. So Loki used his talents to push Thor to the limit, to make the God of Thunder work for his every victory. And when Thor ultimately won, Loki had to hide his satisfaction.

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Thor would never admit it, but he took a certain pleasure from being expertly manipulated, but only if Loki pulled the strings.

It had certainly happened often enough and it had taken him a long time to realize how much of an influence his brother had on him. And every now and then, Loki still managed to surprise him, no matter how much Thor had learned from past experiences. Unknowingly, he would walk straight into an elaborate trap. As the years passed, Loki's talents only grew and Thor was always his first victim.

With any other enemy this would have been intolerable. Tricks and deception and all manner of underhanded means were abhorrent to him. Thor's pride would never allow for such treatment from others. So this was a slightly unnerving double standard. Loki always did what Thor hated the most. And yet, this did not bother him as much as it should. On the contrary, he secretly looked forward to it.

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So every battle was a dance, and every defeat a fulfillment of secret desire. Over the centuries, they perfected the masks they wore to hide how much they enjoyed being broken by one another.


	7. Post-Canon

**Day Seven: Post-Canon**

_NOTE: Here is the final chapter. These short pieces were interesting but difficult to write because there is so much to work with. But I enjoyed exploring Thor and Loki's complex relationship and hopefully I did their story some justice._

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No darkness is impenetrable. No one knew this more than Heimdall, he whose sight was keenest in the Nine Realms. He had seen much in his time and so he was certain that though the bonds between Thor and Loki continued to suffer rupture after rupture, betrayal after betrayal, this was not how their story would end.

He watched them carefully, as he always had, and so he could see much more than either of them could (or would.) And he saw through the lies they chose to tell themselves. After centuries of conflict, very few still believed that anything could still change between the brothers.

Loki, who prided himself at being the master of deceit, almost manages to deceive himself when it comes to his true feelings for his brother. He enumerates an endless list of resentments and grudges, hoarded since childhood and he always finds some reason to taunt and belittle the golden-haired God of Thunder. But he was always the most dismayed when Thor was defeated by other enemies. He tried to mask his pain with exaggerated glee when he secretly felt the sting of every blow dealt against his brother.

"I hate Thor," he repeated endlessly, more to convince himself than others. And for most, his masquerade worked. But Heimdall knew what was truly inside the trickster's heart.

"And one day," the guardian thought, "you will not be able to escape that truth."

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"You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with the glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you."

Thor may not have been as skilled as his brother in deception but he occasionally managed a decent disguise. He claimed that the wounds they had inflicted on each other ran too deep, that there was no more room for forgiveness, that they had resigned themselves to dying as enemies. But he did not really believe any of this. He simply clung to falsehoods because he was afraid of being hurt once more. And yet, this shield brought little comfort to him.

He still wandered through the places where they had played together as boys and he still remembered with fondness all the mischief they would get themselves into. All the battles were they had fought together, side by side, were among his most precious memories. He did not wish to but he longed for those days again. But he was not sure that was even possible.

Fortunately, he was wrong. The years may have changed them in many ways but the essentials remained.

"They are both still stubborn fools," Heimdall mused, shaking his head sadly, "but I do not despair for them. Even the deepest of darkness can be pierced by a flicker of hope."

_They are brothers and they always will be. No matter what befalls them, theirs is a bond that will endure._


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